Penn State vs. Ohio State is typically one of the most exciting games of the college football season and, hopefully, it’ll live up to the hype on Saturday.
The undefeated Nittany Lions, ranked No. 3 in the country, are set to host the 7-1 Buckeyes, ranked No. 4, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State’s crowd – which features the “best student section in the country” according to Kirk Herbstreit – should be incredibly amped up for this one. There could be some special guests in attendance, too. United States presidential candidate Donald Trump is rumored to be attending the game. Pennsylvania is arguably the most important “swing state” in the upcoming election, so Trump has been prioritizing it, with appearances all over, including at a Pittsburgh Steelers game.
But while the contest between Penn State and Ohio State should be thrilling, fans aren’t happy with the kickoff time.
Penn State and Ohio State are scheduled to kick off at noon E.T. It’s FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” game of the week.
It feels like Penn State vs. Ohio State should be a night game, though, right?
“There is not nearly enough outrage about Ohio State at Penn State being played at Noon on Saturday,” one fan noted.
The fans are right, but unfortunately, it all comes down to the TV networks. FOX has rights to the Big Ten and the network has prioritized the noon E.T. window over everything else. It allows the network’s pregame show to lead into their biggest game of the week.
Ohio State at Penn State will get big viewership numbers, but the energy in the stadium will probably pale in comparison to what it could have been if it was a 7 or 8 p.m. E.T. kickoff.
Few atmospheres in college football can compare to a “White Out” under the lights at Penn State.